


Another Day

by AOS100



Series: Catra Applesauce Meowmeow [5]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Adora-centric (She-Ra), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, POV Adora (She-Ra), Panic Attacks, Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner's A+ Parenting, they talk about their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29777013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AOS100/pseuds/AOS100
Summary: “Hey, are you okay, Adora?”Catra’s warm hand had reached over and softly squeezed her own trembling ones. Catra watched her with such concern, her brows furrowed and a small, questioning frown plastered on. Of course. Catra knew exactly how her body worked, no matter how hard Adora tried to hide the signs of her discomfort.ORAdora has a panic attack during a meeting and Catra helps her through it.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Catra Applesauce Meowmeow [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1790464
Comments: 5
Kudos: 109





	Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> THIS ALL HAPPENED BECAUSE OF @heycatra00 ON TIK TOK, HERE YOU GO
> 
> I don't own the characters or anything and I have no beta : D

Another day. Another meeting. 

A year after the war and it seemed like nobody truly got to rest yet. It was no longer a physical battle, but a political one. Scrolls and scrolls of requests were sent to Glimmer daily by the other kingdoms and towns. Lobbies were requested and delegates were sent in hopes of politicians getting what they wanted. 

As grateful that Adora was for the lack of people getting injured, it made her feel useless. She was never one to hold much knowledge on the strategies that came with ruling anything. It wasn't something she was taught, it wasn't something she could excel at unlike Catra, who seemed to take to it all naturally. She helped Glimmer occasionally behind the scenes and was her unofficial advisor, for now. It filled Adora's heart with pride and happiness that Catra had found something to do. It was a goal that they both had problems with, Adora believing that she was useless now that the war was over and she was no longer needed as a warrior, and Catra believing that she was past redemption, that she was never going to do enough and that she would never change. 

Of course, She-ra was still currently useful in the repairs and heavy lifting of collapsed structures, but what would happen once that was over? 

She contemplated her future as she sat in another meeting she felt useless in. Catra sat next to her, discussing another request for the lobby for the mayor of Elberon, seeing as how he hadn't done anything since the invasion of Horde Prime, a new leader was needed. Delegates had been sent over to meet with Glimmer and planned to discuss the appointment of several candidates for the town. How did this concern Brightmoon? Adora had no clue, but she was required to be in most meetings both for her input and as a symbol, though she rarely ever gave the former. 

It had been brewing for weeks though, her panic. A few workers dismissing her help at Colonia is what started it. They were on the more specific and delicate parts of labor there, her strength was no longer needed, and a specific phrase, “You’re not needed here,” from a faceless citizen, is what triggered her cycle of negative thoughts again, as Perfuma has described it. Of course, the phrase had ended with, “at the moment, but thank you, She-Ra.”

Adora’s mind didn’t register it. 

She was a failure now. She had served her purpose, reached her peak, but at what cost? Shadow Weaver molded her into a warrior, strong, reckless, ready to sacrifice everything for the wellbeing of others. And she nearly did. She nearly lost herself in her need to fix everything and do what was deemed the greater good. Now that was over, they were happy, at peace. It was hard to believe. A bit too hard. She wished the thoughts would only plague her dreams, would only infest her mind in the darkness of tiredness and sleep-fighting. They did, despite that, her logic during the day was affected as well. What if someone suddenly came and ripped it all away from her? No, she couldn’t let that happen, So she worked, and worked until she found that she couldn’t any longer because she was  _ useless. _ She had just gotten Catra back and now she was going to lose her world  _ again _ all because she had reached the endpoint of her abilities. Stars, she really was an idiot. She sat there, all day, doing nothing because there was nothing she knew  _ how _ to do, while Catra, Glimmer, Bow, and all the other princesses were hard at work, still repairing kingdoms and forming treaties. Whenever someone looked at her, she imagined them thinking that the mighty She-Ra was really just a glorified weapon. She was aware that they were her own thoughts but putting faces to them seemed like an easy way to put more expectations on herself. And if she collapsed under all those false expectations? Well then at least she was doing something. She couldn’t tell anybody else, though, Perfuma hardly did. Catra, now Catra seeing Adora’s true self, seeing how truly worthless she was would only set the foundation for her life’s crumble. ‘ _ Adora?’  _ Catra could leave her, and find someone better, find someone worthwhile who didn’t wake her up ‘ _ Adora?’ _ from paranoid nightmares. Catra could find someone who didn’t hold her back ‘ _ Adora?’ _ because they wanted to work through their goals together. ‘ _ Adora?’  _ Catra could find someone who took her on nice dates and actually spent quality time with her and actually treated her like she  _ deserved  _ to be. 

“Adora!”

Damn, she had zoned out again. She shook herself off only to focus on an impassive Glimmer’s face, “Sorry, yes?”

Glimmer’s political mask remained unchanging even as she might have worried about her, “What do you think of the candidate from Dryl?”

She sunk into her seat, tears forming in the corners of her eyes and heart racing as she fumbled her brain to look for an answer. Everyone was looking at her, the princesses, the delegates, her girlfriend. They all looked bored, impatient, and unaware of Adora’s internal panic, just as she wanted it to be. Perhaps Perfuma had noticed the signs of her impending unraveling of emotions, being her therapist and the one who knew her mild thoughts. She doubted it though. They waited, rather irritated that she had yet to answer. Even so, she had to compose herself for a moment, if not they would all see how much of a mess she was, and she couldn’t have that. So she focused on the question. They asked her them because the newer delegates usually thought that She-Ra’s opinion would be better, much to Glimmer’s dismay, but Adora didn’t  _ know _ anything and she hadn’t been listening in before, so how would she be able to give a response to all these people who were expect-, “Hey, are you okay, Adora?”

Catra’s warm hand had reached over and softly squeezed her own trembling ones. Catra watched her with such concern, her brows furrowed and a small, questioning frown plastered on. Of course. Catra knew exactly how her body worked, no matter how hard Adora tried to hide the signs of her discomfort. The minuscule gathering of wetness in her eyes was unnoticeable to everyone else, as was the fidgeting of her fingers hidden under the table and the short hitched breaths and the lump in her throat, they were all carefully tucked away, concealed under the guise that Adora was simply a person who just  _ could not _ relax. It worked. It always did with everyone except Catra.

All it took was for Catra to utter five simple words, and she was falling apart at the seams. As quickly as she had hidden the tears they reappeared, rolling down her face as she stood up briskly. The chair’s legs screeched on the floor as Adora hurried to turn on shaking legs and exit the meeting room. The other alliance members seemed shocked, the delegates especially so, but she didn’t care. She needed out. She needed out  _ now. _ She was slightly aware of Catra’s hands guiding her out of the room in her haze. Everything was so blurry through her tears. Adora scarcely made it out of the room before a sob broke out, muffled by her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut and slid down the wall right next to the entrance. Catra shut the door just in time to prevent anyone inside from hearing it, though she couldn’t do much for anyone outside.

“Adora? Hey honey, what’s wrong,” Catra kneeled down next to Adora, who was hugging her knees close to her chest and hiding her face in them. Stars, they were in public, everybody would see, word would spread, and everyone would know that- “Adora? Please- can I hold you?”

She nodded, Catra’s voice breaking through the fog of her thoughts and making her hyperaware of her worried girlfriend next to her. She uncurled and found herself being tucked into warm and strong arms.  _ Hey, you need to move… whatever this is, somewhere else. There’s a meeting going on. _ Her breath hitched, this person was definitely going to tell Glimmer about her breakdown. As if she didn’t already know. Glimmer was going to hate her for ruining a meeting-  _ I know that, dipshit. I just came from the meeting- _ Stars, she really was a burden, wasn’t she? She was always dragging Catra into her problems, dragging her  _ down. _ Not only was she useless, but she was also a liability. They were sure to get rid of her now. If Shadow Weaver could see her- “Adora? Focus on my voice. Match my breathing, okay?”

She had started to hyperventilate. She was vaguely aware of the guard still pestering them, but her head was fuzzy and her chest hurt. She found the strength to close her fist and thump it, but Catra lightly grabbed her wrist and held it close to her, “Hey, no no no, match my breaths, one, two, three, four, five- there we go,” she sunk more and more into her girlfriend’s embrace, feeling safe as Catra’s exaggerated breaths set the pace for her now slower breathing. “Good, you’re doing great, honey,” Catra kept ignoring the guard, who was darting his head from the pair on the floor to the large entrance of the meeting room and hovering over them as if Glimmer would suddenly appear to scold him for not getting them to move.

Adora’s breath finally slowed to something more sedate, and her body finally felt tired, so tired.

“Want to go to the room now, ‘Dora,” Catra murmured the question, ready to help Adora up and carry most of their weight down the halls to their room. 

Adora tiredly nodded her head and Catra gently moved the blonde’s arm over her shoulder, her own clawed hands gripping Adora’s side, and she stood up from their slumped position to the floor, pulling Adora up with her.

“Do- do you need any help,” the guard warily asked.

“Not anymore, fucking idiot,” Catra muttered the last part and many more angry insults the entire way to their room, not once complaining about Adora’s body that sagged more and more the closer they got to their bed.

As Adora felt her knees touch the bedframe, her exhausted body finally collapsed and she flopped onto her and Catra’s bed, considering a long nap and a shower right after before she remembered her worried girlfriend beside her. She turned her tear-stained and sweaty face away from the plush bedding to glance up at a still worried Catra.

“Hi,” she quietly uttered before turning her gaze downwards again.

“Hey, Adora. Do you want to talk about it?”

She sighed. She was so  _ tired _ , both physically and mentally, but she figured, she was already on the topic of it, and she knew she would chicken out later. She nodded and slowly sat up, “Yeah, can you um- can you hold me? Please?”

Catra extended her arms out, already awaiting Adora’s comfortable weight in her arms.

They sat there, Catra patiently waiting for Adora to start, while the blonde herself picked out a good place to start, “I feel like a burden- like I’m useless. And I know we’ve already talked about this but lately, it’s gotten worse because people don’t even need me to help to rebuild- and that’s great! I’m so happy that we’re finally at  _ peace _ , but it still doesn’t feel  _ real.  _ Glimmer and everyone asks me all these questions about all this important stuff but I don’t know any of it. It feels like I’ve stopped working and if I stop working, it’s all going to fall apart because I’m not doing my part to keep it together. I keep thinking, I  _ just  _ got you back- and I’m terrible to you! We- I don’t do things with you that make you happy and I keep imagining you leaving for someone who can do so much better because  _ that’s what you deserve and- _ ” Catra stopped her with a soft hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears that had made their way to the surface again.

“I’m  _ never _ going to leave you again, Adora. I love you not  _ in spite _ of your flaws, I love you  _ because of them _ . You’re right, we don’t do the same things that all the other couples around here do. We don’t go on fancy dates or coordinate our schedules like Sparkles and Arrow boy, but who said those things are what makes me happy? Just yesterday we snuck out together in the middle of the night to look at those constellations you like.  _ That _ makes me happy. Seeing you happy makes me happy. I- I know that a lot of times I don’t think I deserve this either, but you are so much more than anything that anyone else could give me. You’re a dummy and I love it! You’re not useless Adora. You’re not, like, a freeloader around here. You help Bow and Entrapta with the planning of the space trip. You help me and Glimmer with the records, even if you do ask a lot of questions. I know that being raised in the Horde makes us believe that we’re just soldiers, but we’re not, Adora. It’s only been a year. More than half of it was spent with you working yourself to the ground as She-Ra  _ and  _ Adora. I know you go stir-crazy without something to do, but it’s only been- maximum a month- where you haven’t done something super important. Even stupid blonde eight-foot warrior heroes need to rest sometime, Adora, and you haven’t. There’s no reason you  _ need  _ to work, it’s not going to fall apart, even if I think the same thing sometimes,  _ it’s not. _ ”

By the end of Catra’s reassurances, Adora found tears of relief streaming down her face, a wobbly smile on her face as she stared into Catra’s unmatching eyes, “You promise?”

A new one, one that they both swore to keep no matter what as Catra responded with a firm, “I promise.” She sealed it with a soft kiss and rested her forehead on Adora’s, “And you’re not a burden dummy, you could totally freeload and nobody would care because we all love you for  _ you _ , not for She-Ra.”

“When did you get so wise, hmm?”

“When I started talking to Perfuma- which, I hope you do tell her about this,” Catra semi-sternly told her.

Adora sighed a little in acceptance. Perfuma  _ had _ seen her run out of the meeting room, “Okay, but can we take a nap now? ‘M tired,” she felt her eyelids get heavy again and knew she wasn’t going to stay awake much longer.

“Duh, and if anyone comes to ask about you I’ll chase them off,” Catra proudly but reassuringly stated.

“‘M’kay, love you.”

Adora drifted off to sleep, unaware of Catra’s reply of, “Love you too,” and the gentle kiss placed on her forehead.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank @heycatra00 for the prompt on Tik Tok, love your posts. Sooooo... I wasn't supposed to be working on this but once I saw the post I had to write it. I hope you liked it, and if you didn't, I wish you the best in finding something good to read! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> If anyone that's waiting on my story about Catra's 9 lives sees this (I doubt it) just know that updates are still regularly scheduled for at least by Monday. This is merely practice for my mild angst. ♥


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